Yanukovich Set to Become Ukrainian Pm

The Ukrainian parliament was today expected to confirm the pro-Moscow politician Viktor Yanukovich as prime minister, ending months of political stalemate.

The vote will put him in power alongside the pro-western president Viktor Yushchenko, forcing Mr Yushchenko to work with his rival in the bitterly-contested 2004 presidential election.

During that campaign, accusations of Russian interference and an apparent poisoning attempt against Mr Yushchenko prompted a wave of street protests that overturned an initial run-off vote in favour of Mr Yanukovich.

Mr Yushchenko finally nominated Mr Yanukovich for the post of prime minister on Wednesday, two hours after a deadline for the proposal had passed.

"Whatever decision the president makes, it would not have been accepted by part of the population or it will cause some misunderstandings," he said. "Now is the very moment when we must unite Ukraine."

The nomination ended months of wrangling following a sweeping victory by Mr Yanukovich's Party of the Regions bloc in March's parliamentary elections.

The win brought him 186 MPs, compared with Mr Yushchenko's 81, in the 450-member parliament.

Today's vote is expected to cede much of the country's political power to Mr Yanukovich and his allies, although Mr Yushchenko will remain in control of foreign policy and defence.

Ukraine's Delo newspaper reported that said the post of deputy prime minister would go to a member of Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party, Petro Poroshenko, while Mykola Azarov - an ally of Mr Yanukovich - would become the finance minister.

Mr Yushchenko's troubled administration has hit hopes of a new beginning for Ukraine following the orange revolution in 2004.

Numerous ministers and officials have resigned or been sacked, while the government has battled persistent allegations of corruption, including claims that the London-exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky had illegally financed Mr Yushchenko's campaign.

The country also faced a crisis in January when the Russian gas giant, Gazprom, cut off supplies in the middle of the winter freeze.

Many orange revolution leaders fear Mr Yanukovich's promotion will push Ukraine back into the embrace of Russia, but Mr Yushchenko said the prime minister had promised not to undermine the principles of the revolution.

The political deal has faced firm opposition from Yulia Tymoshenko, Mr Yushchenko's former political ally and prime minister in the wake of the orange revolution.

She promised to take her 129-member voting bloc - the second largest in parliament - into opposition after attempts to build a coalition with Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine faction broke down amid bitterness.

Several of her allies have threatened to take to the streets in protest if Mr Yanukovich is confirmed as prime minister today.

While Mr Yushchenko has strong support in Ukraine's metropolitan areas and the more prosperous west and north of the country, Mr Yanukovich dominates in the country's main industrial regions, in the east and south.

He is seen as pragmatic on economic issues, and told Russia's Isvestia newspaper that improving relations between Moscow and Kiev would be key to solving the problems facing Ukraine's economy.

"If we accept Russia as a partner, than we will be able to solve our biggest problems, including over gas," he said.